2020-06-09 01:45
Back in March, when we were shutdown by Covid, I watched our friends (Alphabet Cafe, Bond St Eats, Lucky Duck, Gauge, Mongrel, Pie Town) lean in to all the turmoil and anxiety and find oppor… Read More
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Wandering Cooks Blog
wanderingcooks.com.au
Wandering Cooks is the hub of the Brisbane food community, bringing artisan good producers, chefs, buyers, suppliers, educators and the food-loving public together.
2020-03-28 10:24
This may seem odd to some of you who have seen Wandering Cooks kicking some serious arse on a Friday night, but I don’t take easily to making money. It’s taken a lot of money to… Read More
2020-03-12 06:06
Making a business is like boiling water. Friction is required.
You hope it’s not. You hope that this still water pot, this tepid body will simply – phut! – turn to steam. B… Read More
2020-02-18 07:28
Talking with one of my food maker friends a couple weeks ago, I said,
Fear is leading your decisions! Where’s the room for dreaming?
Of course fear was leading her. And I made it sound… Read More
2020-01-23 03:52
After an email from a loyal customer of ours, caring enough to write, the following correspondence took place. It might answer questions for more, so we’re publishing it here (an… Read More
2020-01-09 01:56
What else is there to talk about when the country is on fire?
We knew the country was on fire, before it literally burst into flames.
Back then, we couldn’t always see it, but we could… Read More
2019-11-26 04:24
Dear whoever you are,
I’ve never done this before, that is, tried to evoke you. But this opportunity matters to me more than all the others. The Ingredient Challenge. I’m petrifi… Read More
2019-10-14 09:59
The below statements are all based on actual conversations.
Some (not all), are definitely about us.
Everything’s possible pre-launch, that is, before an idea goes live.
We’ll ge… Read More
2019-10-01 08:04
I ordered a whole heap of turmeric, ginger and galangal tubers for our garden. Looking at them now, I’m dubious they’ll ever shoot green and grow. They’re so damn dormant… Read More
2019-09-17 06:39
And on reflection, perhaps someone else’s worries, too…
What have I just done?
have I fucked it all up? I’ve fucked it all up.
the downward spiral… this is it.
I&rs&hell…Read More
2019-09-03 01:58
These days, more often than not, I’m missing thoughts to write in this blog. Sure, week by week I’ve scrape together sentences… and there’s usually something glintin… Read More
2019-08-20 01:41
Gardening is a great metaphor to mix with business, particularly when you’re tending a business like Wandering Cooks.
I didn’t follow traditional business models when I created t… Read More
2019-08-05 23:54
I would be lost without them.
Even with all there is to learn from family, and the slogging away in kitchens many of us have done, to cook without cookbooks feels like… isolation.
Coo… Read More
2019-07-29 06:16
Every year, one of our lovely (and most stylish) customers lets us know she’s finally done all she can with her cumquat glut.
And every year, I can’t say no.
I refuse to let go o… Read More
2019-07-23 02:43
Business owners share some desires with artists.
They start businesses because they’re perfectionists. Control freaks. They hope to dictate forms of expression, without compromise. The… Read More
2019-07-16 07:47
At Wandering Cooks, we care so much about what meat our world eats. Why? It feels almost droll to say, because it’s been said so many times before. Fuck it I’ll say it anyway&hel&hell…Read More
2019-06-25 04:07
As my search for another venue begins, I think back to when I was first hatching my business dreams 7 years ago. Back then, I wasn’t dreaming up an incubator like Wandering Cooks. I wa… Read More
2019-06-18 01:06
I need to be careful not to mention Melbourne and leaving Fish Lane in the same page (whoops did it again).
Let me be clear – I really do want to continue Wandering Cooks in Brisbane… Read More
2019-06-12 07:17
Walking through Melbourne, the brick walls are dense with their stories. I don’t know them. The small square at the top of the street emptied of activity doesn’t seem to be for m… Read More
2019-06-05 07:13
The day is done. I thought there’d be more to it than one long pouring of morning into midday into afternoon, punctuated less by meetings than their interruption.
Let’s break the… Read More
2019-05-07 08:44
We do a lot of tasks here every week:
serve booze, make coffee, clean tea towels, open doors, water gardens, put out menus, clean toilets, order supplies, enter receipts…
Tasks are kn… Read More
2019-04-30 08:56
People walk into Wandering Cooks looking for a job quite often these days. The more considered of them often send us an email, too. Either way, they come equipped with cvs to do their explai… Read More
2019-04-17 03:14
I know it’s normally ‘thanks for the feedback’, but let’s be frank. It’s the bad stuff that stinks.
We get bad feedback sometimes. Everyone does.
Easiest thing… Read More
2019-04-02 07:11
When we begin food businesses, we knead care into our meals with pride and excess. Everyone loves the taste of craft, and craft persists. It’s why workshops on old skills oversubscribe… Read More
2019-03-26 06:35
The news of another farmer closing for business reaches us today. That’s the third this year.
I’m not going to mention them by name. Like most food businesses that close, these f… Read More
2019-03-12 04:25
Jo’s packed up, hugged a hundred goodbyes, and driven away to her future. Ahead of her, 6 months spent on the road in her troopy (Hans, @troopy_on_tour) with her man (Tom), making… Read More
2019-03-05 06:16
Wandering Cooks has come close to financial catastrophe more than once. This is not an unusual experience for start ups. Thankfully, we’re doing well now. That’s no accident. And… Read More
2019-02-25 23:57
We haven’t sent a newsletter for ages.
Why?
I’ve let if fall away because the end of year holidays took me out of the habit and momentum. Writing hurts a bit too much to start up… Read More
2018-11-27 04:32
I’ve worked so furiously these last 5 years, setting up Wandering Cooks, I’ve forgotten how to have fun outside of work.
More than that, I’ve made moral judgements about fu… Read More
2018-11-13 09:33
Every one in business faces her own pains.
A marathon slog or a downhill plummet or a confidence hole.
Many are doing these feats of will with the tears streaming down their cheeks. So… Read More
2018-11-07 08:13
Do I write too many depressing blog posts? Perhaps that depends on where you currently stand on the weaving, forking path of food business.
Are you right at the start of your journey? lookin… Read More
2018-10-30 07:46
At the warehouse, the fan keeps tripping out. Another trolley breaks its wheel. A booking needs changing, a delivery signing, doors saving, ferments finishing, menus updating…
There&r&hell…Read More
2018-10-23 07:18
The feelings that circle when your business is failing – not someone else’s but yours – are almost impossible to release into the public.
Failure fuels embarrass… Read More
2018-10-16 04:20
In my darkest moments, I feel the overwhelming presence of Super Parent.
She knows who she is. She’s worked a full day (sometimes more than full let’s face it) then flies home to… Read More
2018-10-02 07:34
Pulling Wandering Cooks out of its financial nose dive and into viability has been the most stressful experience of my life.
There’s been other transforming events to be sure. Finishin… Read More
2018-09-26 02:02
When building resilient food systems is the focus of your work, as it is ours, the prospect of having affordable, enduring tenure to do the work is a dreamy aspiration. So Food Connect&rsquo&hell…Read More
2018-09-12 07:47
The question:
The problem is, I feel like locals want my food to be cheaper. They walk up to my place, look at the menu, and then walk away. I noticed most other shops in the area sell their… Read More
2018-08-29 04:14
As a first generation farmer, having been on our farm (Echo Valley Farms) for just 4 years, this season has created opportunity to reflect… Transparency and honesty are values I belie… Read More
2018-08-21 06:44
Starting a business is the easy part, growing a business is the real challenge. There is a quote that goes “Trying to grow your business is like trying to fix the engines of a 747 whil… Read More
2018-08-14 06:34
How does an introvert run an organisation?
From a quiet place.
My favourite quiet places are in the midst of activity.
I love being surrounded by the bustle of our makers, skimming around th… Read More
2018-07-31 01:03
We’ve been inward facing for the last few weeks- working on systems, cleaning and reordering, and attempting to finish one task before beginning another. Not my natural tendency, to wo… Read More
2018-06-26 05:48
We’ve been working hard on food maker ‘pitching’ as part of our Silver Chef collaboration – Holy Shiitake.
One of the peculiarities of this format is that everyone wh… Read More
2018-06-19 11:01
1. Create routine in my days that allows deep work AND review work:
Deep work time every week day morning from 9am – 11am with no exceptions.
No meetings in the mornings, no email ti… Read More
2018-06-19 02:49
Watch me procrastinate. It looks quite productive. I can do 10 urgent things on my way to doing ‘the real work’: pick up rubbish (1), put away some stock (2), clear a dead corner… Read More
2018-06-05 07:29
Tanya Krikke, one of our longest and most devout (can I say that?!) food makers, gave me a gift – a most beautiful book called An Everlasting Meal, by Tamar Adler.
The writer feels the… Read More
2018-05-15 06:47
If your business is new, an unusually slow time feels like a forecast. If your business is slow and has been for 6 weeks: must be a trend.
If you’ve been at it for several years or mor… Read More
2018-05-08 07:12
Just in case you missed it – Seth Godin blows my mind – not all the time, but when I really need him to.
In the early days of business, when every night had a 3AM panic attack, h… Read More
2018-05-01 02:29
There’s really nothing more creative than running a business, if you want it to be this way. But instead, you can run your business like a series of jobs:
Every day, go to your busines… Read More
2018-04-10 00:37
Every week, for a time, I look forward to writing my blog post.
Abstractly.
I watch from the distance of a week’s time and imagine carving it out, easily, like my mind is as giving as… Read More
2018-04-03 08:37
Some people find comfort in black and white opinions. I find comfort in grey.
Examples?
A while back I admitted that I was bad at contracts. I know I need to make them, sure, but that doesn… Read More
2018-03-21 02:45
Deflated in the doorway he wilts, waiting for someone to walk in. He could be busy with possibility, but instead, he is empty with apathy and expectations unmet. He smiles feebly as yo… Read More
2018-03-14 00:20
Everyone around us at Wandering Cooks is getting ready to own their own places. Whether it’s still a glint in their knife, money being squirrelled away, or an empty building, people ar… Read More
2018-03-06 06:48
Sometime (maybe) I will create… a neighbourhood composting program, an edible plant nursery, a shop that’s entirely dedicated to ethically sourced dairy products, a food bu… Read More
2018-02-27 01:08
In business, the il y a is everywhere. It accumulates in unattended spaces, anywhere we allow the life force of business to drift away.
There is. Indifference. No relational leftovers.
I wou… Read More
2018-02-13 07:22
What does it take to make money in hospitality?
I asked this question of a friend of mine, a veteran of the restaurant industry. He said:
Multiple venues. And then consistent mediocrity.
Con… Read More
2018-02-06 21:04
How dare you make me feel guilty when I’m doing my best?*
Well for one, how do I make you feel anything? If you’re feeling guilty, it’s probably best to own it first up. An… Read More
2018-01-30 06:41
To my knowledge, there’s no contractual obligation committing us to any additional recurring bookings with you. So I don’t expect to see any further invoices after this week.
I… Read More
2018-01-24 01:07
I was writing my first post of 2018 like I walk into most days around here – straight into the middle of it. Plans disintegrate as I’m approached from all corners with conversati… Read More
2017-12-05 04:34
Veganism (or plant-based eating) is a burgeoning movement. At least 60% of our employees at Wandering Cooks are vegan. Many of our food makers are also vegan or are making ever more plant-ba… Read More
2017-11-21 06:29
I was furious. I could feel my skin practically peeling off with it. Normally, when I’m this angry about something, I quickly see it as a symptom for something else: indignation hiding… Read More
2017-11-07 07:21
At the end of each month, I enjoy reducing the weeks’ happenings to a set of numbers.
Honestly. Mostly. I do!
Particularly if they’re robust digits, maybe more rotund than I expe… Read More
2017-10-24 00:32
After my outburst at the fair food panel and then our supermarket snubbing of last week, I’m feeling pretty good about standing strong for what I believe in. Not that there aren&r&hell…Read More
2017-10-17 04:46
So I was in a fair food panel last week and in front of 100 people I cried. Not tears running down the face silent crying but hard to get through to the end of the sentence sobbing.
I cried… Read More
2017-10-03 06:33
When things aren’t working in business our first urge is often to change things fast: drop a product, stop a market, change a shift – something dramatic to create an eq… Read More
2017-09-26 22:28
Some call it The Dunning Kruger Effect: People currently inept at something think it will be easy to do. They have unbridled confidence.
How hard can it be? It’ll be fantasti… Read More
2017-09-20 03:12
Brett Ledger, owner of Megabake, is a legend. He’s quiet, respectful and meticulous. He speaks with care and consideration whenever he’s in the mood for a chat (and I often… Read More
2017-09-13 05:21
When I asked our kitchen customers about their biggest mistake, Jimi Wall, co-owner of Whoa Nelly! a human grade dog food business working out of our kitchens, came forward wi… Read More
2017-09-05 07:19
I asked our kitchen customers about the biggest mistakes they’ve made since starting their food businesses, and as usual the crew shared with beautiful abandon. They&rsq&hell…Read More
2017-08-29 04:21
The lovely Olga will be jaunting off to Mexico soon for a much needed holiday and we’re on the hunt for a casual of two to fill her shoes with the possibility of staying on after she r… Read More
2017-08-22 08:26
Ange sat down with Robyn from Little Birdy Cakes and Abbey from Caveman Kitchen to discuss starting a food business. Robyn was keen to learn from Abbey’s success and a lot of… Read More
2017-08-15 07:24
to have stayed standing through all the leaning in?
after the pain my family’s been through
and the endless, endless, endless days, weeks, months of not making money but having to just… Read More
2017-08-08 04:24
Hi Angela,
I’ve been trying to get in touch with you to pick your brain about Wandering Cooks. It’s such an interesting concept and I’d really like to set up something in C… Read More
2017-08-01 02:26
Angela posed a challenge to the food makers at Wandering Cooks a couple of weeks back urging them to get naked about their food business – Paula Morris from Happy Home Chef took on the… Read More
2017-07-24 02:59
Our beautiful bar and our collection of incredible local produce is growing even more hence we’re on the hunt for badass bar tenders to nail it at our wee establishment.
Our dream bada… Read More
2017-07-23 23:58
Sometimes, I don’t think things through.
I mean, I intentionally resist seeing the whole picture.
I started on a jamming slam this week, churning through kilos of strawberries, rhubar… Read More
2017-07-10 06:43
People often ask, ‘what kinds of things do your customers sell?’ I’ve always told them that it’s a mix: about a third make products for wholesale to cafes and in… Read More
2017-06-27 04:43
In November 2016, Anna Jones launched a human-grade dog meal delivery business called Suburban Pup. Why? Because humans are busy and dogs are awesome. She works an early morning in our… Read More
2017-06-27 04:43
In November 2016, Anna Jones launched a human-grade dog meal delivery business called Suburban Pup. Why? Because humans are busy and dogs are awesome. She works an early morning in our… Read More
2017-06-20 03:06
Sign up to Food By Us
Food By Us launched in Sydney in 2016 with the aim to connect food buyers to their local food makers through their online platform. The team have grown their bran… Read More
2017-06-20 02:38
As Seth Godin would say, to have good ideas you first need to have lots of ideas and some of them will be bad. Here’s a mix I wrote down on my walk to work:
A pick your own herb g… Read More
2017-06-12 05:29
Ash here, Ange has passed over the reigns FINALLY so I can harp on only for a smidge how cool she is so (now in a David Attenborough voice) let us trek into the wild mind of Angela Hirst, ow… Read More
2017-06-05 04:01
My customers often see my business more clearly than I’m seeing it, offering me feedback, judgements and constructive opinions about what I should do. I’m not going to give examp… Read More
2017-05-23 03:49
My favourite kind of cooking occurs when I have some time to wing it. I’ve got the direction I’m looking for in my head – I just don’t know exactly how I’ll get… Read More
2017-05-16 02:10
I was so happy to see our first ‘naked’ response come through my email. Here it is, unabridged because it’s perfect just the way it is. Keep ’em coming!
So – I… Read More
2017-05-16 02:10
I was so happy to see our first ‘naked’ response come through my email. Here it is, unabridged because it’s perfect just the way it is. Keep ’em coming!
So – I… Read More
2017-05-15 07:57
So I said I’d tell you week to week what it’s like for me to start a new food business … and now I’m regretting it a bit. Partly because I haven’t had tim… Read More
2017-05-08 05:52
I’ve been listening to a business book, The Personal MBA. Every few minutes Josh Kaufman says something of direct relevance to my food business. It’s like I’… Read More
2017-05-01 23:52
I had a hard conversation with a food maker last night. He’d made some terrible mistakes (his words) – decisions that equalled tens of thousands of dollars spent with still no re… Read More
2017-04-24 06:50
I started Wandering Cooks because I wanted to make preserves. Preserves were everything to me- flavour intensified, bold emphasis and subtle italics adding meaning to any dish I&rs&hell…Read More
2017-03-08 06:08
Mimi’s concept for her Brisbane Street Arts Festival piece on Fish Lane
Minimal intervention wines captured Mimi’s mind when she came to think of Wandering Cooks and what we… Read More
2017-03-06 05:19
Take a peek at our new food menu
We finally have a menu you can check out prior to coming along to Wandering Cooks – HURRAH we hear you say. Take a peek here.
As you may or may not kno… Read More
2017-02-22 03:54
We’re on the hunt for a badass bar tender to nail it at our wee establishment, Drinks at Wandering Cooks. Our dream badass would have:
a STRONG passion and knowledge of local… Read More
2017-01-30 05:53
Take a look at how the Shank Brothers BBQ – We can “bacon” that workshop went on Thursday 26th January. Thanks to Emotive Light Photography for shooting these great pics!… Read More
2017-01-25 01:51
I’ve been invited to give a talk about Wandering Cooks at Harvard University in two weeks. Why us you might wonder? Because it turns out we’re one of the most inventive and popul… Read More
2017-01-09 07:37
WEBB (West End Bulk Buyers) is a community bulk buyers group in West End, Brisbane. But more than that, they’re a bunch of folks who care about food that is locally-sourced, healthy, e… Read More
2016-10-20 01:13
Be part of our Christmas Pop Up Store this year
If you’re a food maker or a knick-knack food related creator, then we would love it if you took part in our Christmas Pop Up Store this… Read More
2016-09-22 07:35
Here is a nice little piece from PopHouse Productions – we love you Joanna Flamia, Lucy Maltby and David Roati!
The post Feels like home appeared first on Wandering Cooks Read More
2016-09-07 04:25
Getting your food product labels right can feel like an overwhelming obstacle to starting your business, but actually, it’s more straight forward than it seems. Follow these 6 ste… Read More
2016-07-08 06:25
Come be a part of this fertile ground for connection, collaboration and experience sharing between local artisan food producers, industry and the public.
Voted one of Queensland’s… Read More
2016-05-10 09:50
We like pretty things. We like well presented things. We like things, let’s be frank. We aren’t trained to think about the process or person who produces that bott… Read More
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